Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof

ABSTRACT

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a first conductor pattern and a second conductor pattern running side by side with each other, including forming a first portion of the first conductor pattern and a second portion of the second conductor pattern by patterning using a first mask, and forming a second portion of the first conductor pattern and a first portion of the second conductor pattern by patterning using a second mask. A first inter-conductor capacity is formed by the first portion of the first conductor pattern and the first portion of the second conductor pattern. A second inter-conductor capacity is formed by the second portion of the first conductor pattern and the second portion of the second conductor pattern.

The present application is a Divisional application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/448,954, filed on Jul. 31, 2014, which is basedon and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-197551,filed on Sep. 24, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and amanufacturing technology thereof, and relates to, for example, atechnology effective when applied to a semiconductor device using amicrofabrication technology and a manufacturing technology thereof.

A technology related to a so-called double patterning method has beendescribed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-294308(Patent Document 1) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.2012-74755 (Patent Document 2) as a technology that realizesmicrofabrication exceeding a resolution limit of a photolithographytechnique.

SUMMARY

In recent years, microminiaturization of a semiconductor element andwirings formed in a semiconductor chip has been advanced from theviewpoint of pushing ahead with miniaturization of a semiconductordevice. In particular, the microminiaturization of the semiconductorelement and the wirings has reached a level exceeding the performancelimit of the current microfabrication technology (patterningtechnology). Therefore, a technology referred to as a so-called doublepatterning method has been adopted even in the current microfabricationtechnology to cope with further microminiaturization.

This double patterning method is a method for forming patterns adjacentto each other by separate masks to thereby relax a microminiaturizationlevel of each of the patterns formed by the individual masks. Thus, theuse of the double patterning method enables coping with themicrominiaturization exceeding the performance limit even in the currentmicrofabrication technology.

Since, however, the patterns adjacent to each other are formed by thedifferent masks in the double patterning method, there is a risk that,for example, a working shape and interval are shifted from the designvalues between wirings adjacent to each other due to a positionaldisplacement between the masks. Such shifting of the working shape andinterval from the design values contributes even to a variation in thecharacteristics of the semiconductor device. That is, theabove-described double patterning method has the advantage of beingcapable of coping with the microminiaturization exceeding theperformance limit of the current microfabrication technology, but on theother hand, has room for improvement in that the variation in thecharacteristics of the semiconductor device due to the mask misalignmentis likely to occur.

Other objects and novel features of the present invention will becomeapparent from the description of the present specification and theaccompanying drawings.

A semiconductor device manufacturing method according to one embodimenthas the steps of forming a first portion of a first conductor patternand a second portion of a second conductor pattern by patterning using afirst mask, and forming a second portion of the first conductor patternand a first portion of the second conductor pattern by patterning usinga second mask. At this time, a first inter-conductor capacity is formedby the first portion of the first conductor pattern and the firstportion of the second conductor pattern, and a second inter-conductorcapacity is formed by the second portion of the first conductor patternand the second portion of the second conductor pattern.

Also, in a semiconductor device manufacturing method according to oneembodiment, when a positional displacement occurs between a first maskand a second mask, each of a first conductor pattern and a secondconductor pattern is divided into a portion formed by first patterningand a portion formed by second patterning in such a manner that aportion where the distance between the first conductor pattern and thesecond conductor pattern becomes smaller than when the positionaldisplacement does not occur between the first and second masks and aportion where the distance becomes larger than when the positionaldisplacement does not occur between the first and second masks exist.

Further, a semiconductor device according to one embodiment includes afirst conductor pattern and a second conductor pattern running side byside with each other. Here, each of the first conductor pattern and thesecond conductor pattern has a first portion extending in a firstdirection, a second portion that extends in the first direction and isarranged deviated from the first portion in a second directionorthogonal to the first direction, and a coupling portion that couplesthe first portion and the second portion and extends in the seconddirection. The first portion of the first conductor pattern and thesecond portion of the second conductor pattern are arranged over astraight line.

According to one embodiment, it is possible to suppress a variation inthe characteristics of a semiconductor device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a typical configuration of a capacitiveelement in a related art, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example ofa state in which a positional displacement exists between masks;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are respectively diagrams for describing a basic conceptof a first embodiment;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are respectively diagrams for describing points devisedto suppress degradation in reliability of coupling of first and secondportions of conductor patterns;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow for manufacturing the conductorpatterns in the first embodiment;

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a planar configuration of a capacitiveelement in the first embodiment, and FIG. 5B is a diagram showing anexample of a state in which a positional displacement exists betweenmasks;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a planar configuration of a capacitiveelement in a first modification of the first embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a planar configuration of a capacitiveelement in a second modification of the first embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a typical diagram depicting a configuration of a capacitiveelement in a third modification of the first embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a planar configuration of a capacitiveelement in a fourth modification of the first embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a planar configuration of a capacitiveelement in a fifth modification of the first embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a planar configuration of a capacitiveelement in a sixth modification of the first embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a diagram depicting a planar configuration of a capacitiveelement in a seventh modification of the first embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a planar configuration of a capacitiveelement in an eighth modification of the first embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a planar configuration of a capacitiveelement in a ninth modification of the first embodiment;

FIG. 15A is a diagram showing a planar configuration of a wiring groupin a second embodiment, and FIG. 15B is a diagram showing an example ofa state in which a positional displacement exists between masks;

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a planar configuration of a wiring group ina first modification of the second embodiment; and

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a planar configuration of a wiringgroup in a second modification of the second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention will be described by being divided into a plurality ofsections or embodiments whenever circumstances require it forconvenience in the following embodiments. However, unless otherwisespecified in particular, they are not irrelevant to one another. Onethereof has to do with modifications, details and supplementaryexplanations of some or all of the other.

When reference is made to the number of elements or the like (includingthe number of pieces, numerical values, quantity, range, etc.) in thefollowing embodiments, the number thereof is not limited to a specificnumber and may be the specific number or more or less unless otherwisespecified in particular and definitely limited to the specific number inprinciple.

It is further needless to say that components (including element steps,etc.) employed in the following embodiments are not always essentialunless otherwise specified in particular and considered to be definitelyessential in principle.

Similarly, when reference is made to the shapes, positional relationsand the like of the components or the like in the following embodiments,they will include ones substantially analogous or similar to theirshapes or the like unless otherwise specified in particular andconsidered not to be definitely so in principle, etc. This is similarlyapplied even to the above-described numerical values and range.

The same reference numerals are respectively attached to the samemembers in principle in all the drawings for describing the embodiments,and a repeated description thereof will be omitted. Incidentally, evenplan diagrams may be hatched for clarity of illustration.

First Embodiment

<Description of Related Art>

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a typical configuration of a capacitiveelement CAP (R) in the related art. As shown in FIG. 1A, the capacitiveelement CAP (R) in the related art is comprised of a comb-type electrodeCSE1 and a comb-type electrode CSE2. The comb-type electrode CSE1 has astructure in which an electrode ELA and an electrode ELC extending in ay direction are integrally coupled in an x direction. The comb-typeelectrode CSE2 also has a structure in which an electrode ELB and anelectrode ELD extending in the y direction are integrally coupled in thex direction. Further, the comb-type electrodes CSE1 and CSE2 arearranged in such a manner than the electrodes ELA through ELD run sideby side alternately.

Here, for example, as microminiaturization to narrow intervals betweenthe electrodes ELA through ELD progresses in corresponding with tominiaturization of the capacitive element CAP (R), it is anticipatedthat a microfabrication technology for forming the electrodes ELAthrough ELD by a single mask is not able to cope with it. Therefore,even in the current microfabrication technology, there is known, forexample, a technology called a so-called double patterning method tocope with further microminiaturization.

The double patterning method is a method for forming mutually adjoiningpatterns by separate masks to thereby relax the level ofmicrominiaturization of the patterns formed by the individual masks.Thus, the use of the double patterning method makes it possible to copewith microminiaturization exceeding a performance limit even in thecurrent microfabrication technology.

Specifically, the double patterning method is that in FIG. 1A, forexample, the electrodes ELA and ELC that configure the comb-typeelectrode CSE1 are formed by first patterning using a first mask, andthe electrodes ELB and ELD that configure the comb-type electrode CSE2are formed by second patterning using a second mask. In FIG. 1A, thecomb-type electrode CSE1 formed by the first patterning is shown as avoid area, whereas the comb-type electrode CSE2 formed by the secondpatterning is shown as a dot area.

Here, FIG. 1A shows the case where in the double patterning method, theelectrodes ELA through ELD are formed in a state in which no positionaldisplacement occurs between the first mask used in the first patterningand the second mask used in the second patterning. In this case, theinterval between the electrodes ELA and ELB, the interval between theelectrodes ELB and ELC, and the interval between the electrodes ELC andELD are all equal to each other and taken as “L”, for example.Accordingly, the capacity between the electrodes ELA and ELB, thecapacity between the electrodes ELB and ELC, and the capacity betweenthe electrodes ELC and ELD are all equal to each other. For example, thecapacitance values thereof are taken to be “C”. At this time, thecapacitance value of the capacitive element CAP (R) in the related artbecomes “3C” (design value) because the three inter-electrode capacitiesdescribed above are coupled in parallel.

<Room for Improvement Existing in the Related Art>

It is however considered that since the adjacent patterns are formed bythe separate masks in the double patterning method, for example, thedistance between the adjacent electrodes is deviated from the designvalue “L” due to the positional displacement between the masks.Specifically, FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the case where the electrodesELA through ELD are formed in a state in which the second mask used inthe second patterning is positionally displaced by “a” in the xdirection with respect to the first mask used in the first patterning.In FIG. 1B, as a result of the positional displacement of the secondmask by “a” in the x direction with respect to the first mask, thedistance between the electrodes ELA and ELB becomes “L+a”, the distancebetween the electrodes ELB and ELC becomes “L−a”, and the distancebetween the electrodes ELC and ELD becomes “L+a”.

Thus, the capacity of the capacitive element CAP (R) in the state inwhich the positional displacement exists between the masks isrepresented like an equation (1) shown below:

$\begin{matrix}{{{1 \cdot C \cdot {L/( {L - a} )}} + {2 \cdot C \cdot {L/( {L + a} )}}} = {{\{ {{C \cdot L \cdot ( {L + a} )} + {2 \cdot C \cdot L \cdot ( {L - a} )}} \}/\{ {( {L + a} )( {L - a} )} \}} = {( {{3 \cdot C \cdot L \cdot L} - {C \cdot L \cdot a}} )/\{ {( {L + a} )( {L - a} )} \}}}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

Accordingly, the difference that occurs between the case where thepositional displacement exists between the masks and the case where nopositional displacement exists therebetween is represented like anequation (2):

$\begin{matrix}\begin{matrix} {{Difference} = {{3 \cdot C} - {{( {{3 \cdot C \cdot L \cdot L} - {C \cdot L \cdot a}} )/\{ {L + a} \}}( {L - a} )}}} \} \\{= {( {{C \cdot L \cdot a} - {3 \cdot C \cdot a \cdot a}} )/\{ {( {L + a} )( {L - a} )} \}}}\end{matrix} & (2)\end{matrix}$

From the above, when the positional displacement exists between themasks in the double patterning method, the capacitance value of thecapacitive element CAP (R) in the related art is varied by thedifference expressed in the equation (2) from “3C” (design value). Sincesuch a deviation in the capacitance value becomes even a factor ofvarying the characteristics of a semiconductor device, there is a needto reduce the deviation in the capacitance value as much as possiblefrom the viewpoint of sufficiently suppressing the variation in thecharacteristics of the semiconductor device.

Thus, while the double patterning method is capable of coping with themicrominiaturization exceeding the performance limit of themicrofabrication technology using the single mask, there is room forimprovement in that the variation in the characteristics of thesemiconductor device due to the positional displacement between themasks is easy to occur.

Therefore, the present embodiment has applied the contrivance forsuppressing the striking variation in the characteristics of thesemiconductor device by using the double patterning method. Adescription will be made below about the technical concept in thepresent embodiment to which the contrivance has been applied.

<Basic Concept of First Embodiment>

FIGS. 2A and 2B are respectively diagrams for describing the basicconcept of the first embodiment. In FIG. 2A, a conductor pattern CPA anda conductor pattern CPB extend in a y direction while running side byside with each other. That is, the conductor pattern CPA and theconductor pattern CPB extend in the y direction while keeping thedistance between the conductor pattern CPA and the conductor pattern CPBat “L”. At this time, the conductor pattern CPA has a first portion P1(A) and a second portion P2 (A), and the conductor pattern CPB has afirst portion P1 (B) and a second portion P2 (B). Further, the firstportion P1 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA and the first portion P1 (B)of the conductor pattern CPB are arranged in opposing positions to oneanother. As a result, a capacity is formed by the first portion P1 (A)of the conductor pattern CPA and the first portion P1 (B) of theconductor pattern CPB. On the other hand, the second portion P2 (A) ofthe conductor pattern CPA and the second portion P2 (B) of the conductorpattern CPB are arranged in opposing positions to one another. As aresult, a capacity is formed by the second portion P2 (A) of theconductor pattern CPA and the second portion P2 (B) of the conductorpattern CPB.

Here, the conductor patterns CPA and CPB running side by side with eachother are formed by patterning using a photography technology, forexample. In the present embodiment in particular, the first portion P1(A) of the conductor pattern CPA and the second portion P2 (B) of theconductor pattern CPB are formed by first patterning using a first mask,whereas the second portion P2 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA and thefirst portion P1 (B) of the conductor pattern CPB are formed by secondpatterning using a second mask. In FIG. 2A, for example, the firstportion P1 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA and the second portion P2(B) of the conductor pattern CPB both formed by the first patterning areshown as void areas, whereas the second portion P2 (A) of the conductorpattern CPA and the first portion P1 (B) of the conductor pattern CPBboth formed by the second patterning are shown as dot areas. Further,FIG. 2A shows the case where in the double patterning method, theconductor pattern CPA and the conductor pattern CPB are formed in astate in which no positional displacement occurs between the first maskused in the first patterning and the second mask used in the secondpatterning. In this case, the distance between the conductor pattern CPAand the conductor pattern CPB becomes “L”, for example.

In the double patterning method, however, for example, the distancebetween adjacent electrodes is considered to be deviated from the designvalue “L” depending on the mask's positional displacement because theadjacent patterns are formed by the separate masks. Specifically, FIG.2B is a diagram showing the case where the conductor pattern CPA and theconductor pattern CPB are formed in a state in which the second maskused in the second patterning is positionally displaced by “a” in an xdirection with respect to the first mask used in the first patterning.As shown in FIG. 2B, as a result of the positional displacement of thesecond mask by “a” in the x direction with respect to the first mask,the distance between the first portion P1 (A) of the conductor patternCPA and the first portion P1 (B) of the conductor pattern CPB becomes“L+a”, and the distance between the second portion P2 (A) of theconductor pattern CPA and the second portion P2 (B) of the conductorpattern CPB becomes “L−a”. The basic concept of the present embodimentresides in this point.

That is, the basic concept of the present embodiment is characterized bypoints shown below. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, in the conductorpatterns CPA and CPB arranged to run side by side with each other, theconductor pattern CPA is divided into the first portion P1 (A) and thesecond portion P2 (A), and the conductor pattern CPB is also dividedinto the first portion P1 (B) and the second portion P2 (B). Further,the first portion P1 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA and the secondportion P2 (B) of the conductor pattern PCB are formed by the firstpatterning using the same first mask, while the second portion P2 (A) ofthe conductor pattern CPA and the first portion P1 (B) of the conductorpattern CPB are formed by the second patterning using the same secondmask. That is, as shown in FIG. 2A, the first portion P1 (A) of theconductor pattern CPA and the first portion P1 (B) of the conductorpattern CPB both facing each other are formed by patterning using themasks different from each other. Further, the second portion P2 (A) ofthe conductor pattern CPA and the second portion P2 (B) of the conductorpattern CPB both facing each other are formed by patterning using themasks different from each other.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 2A, when attention is paid to the firstportion P1 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA and the first portion P1 (B)of the conductor pattern CPB, the first portion P1 (A) of th conductorpattern CPA formed by the first patterning using the first mask isrelatively arranged on the left side, and the first portion P1 (B) ofthe conductor pattern CPB formed by the second patterning using thesecond mask is relatively arranged on the right side. On the other hand,as shown in FIG. 2A, when attention is paid to the second portion P2 (A)of the conductor pattern CPA and the second portion P2 (B) of theconductor pattern CPB, the second portion P2 (B) of the conductorpattern CPB formed by the first patterning using the first mask isrelatively arranged on the right side, and the second portion P2 (A) ofthe conductor pattern CPA formed by the second patterning using thesecond mask is relatively arranged on the left side.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 2A, the positional relation of the firstpatterning and second patterning with respect to the first portion P1(A) of the conductor pattern CPA and the first portion P1 (B) of theconductor pattern CPB, and the positional relation of the firstpatterning and second patterning with respect to the second portion P2(A) of the conductor pattern CPA and the second portion P2 (B) of theconductor pattern CPB are reversely arranged.

According to such a basic concept of the present embodiment, it ispossible to suppress the variation in the value of the capacity formedbetween the conductor patterns CPA and CPB even when the positionaldisplacement occurs between the first mask used in the first patterningand the second mask used in the second patterning. This point will bedescribed specifically below. Assume that as shown in FIG. 2B, forexample, the position of the second mask used in the second patterningis displaced by “a” in the x direction (right side) with respect to theposition of the first mask used in the first patterning.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 2B, the first portion P1 (B) of theconductor pattern CPB arranged on the right side is further shifted tothe right side in the relation between the first portion P1 (A) of theconductor pattern CPA and the first portion P1 (B) of the conductorpattern CPB. Thus, the distance between the first portion P1 (A) of theconductor pattern CPA and the first portion P1 (B) of the conductorpattern CPB both facing each other extends to “L+a”. As a result, in therelation between the first portion P1 (A) of the conductor pattern CPAand the first portion P1 (B) of the conductor pattern CPB, a change inthe capacity due to the positional displacement between the masksbecomes a change in the direction in which the capacity is reduced.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2B, the second portion P2 (A) of theconductor pattern CPA arranged on the left side is shifted to the rightside in the relation between the second portion P2 (A) of the conductorpattern CPA and the second portion P2 (B) of the conductor pattern CPB.Thus, the distance between the second portion P2 (A) of the conductorpattern CPA and the second portion P2 (B) of the conductor pattern CPBboth facing each other is narrowed to “L−a”. As a result, in therelation between the second portion P2 (A) of the conductor pattern CPAand the second portion P2 (B) of the conductor pattern CPB, a change inthe capacity due to the positional displacement between the masksbecomes a change in the direction in which the capacity becomes larger.

Thus, when the entire capacity related to the conductor pattern CPA andthe conductor pattern CPB is considered, a change in the entire capacitydue to the positional displacement between the masks is canceled andreduced by a decrease in the capacity between the first portion P1 (A)of the conductor pattern CPA and the first portion P1 (B) of theconductor pattern CPB and an increase in the capacity between the secondportion P2 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA and the second portion P2(B) of the conductor pattern CPB. As a result, according to the basicconcept of the present embodiment, the variation in the capacity betweenthe conductor pattern CPA and the conductor pattern CPB due to thepositional displacement between the masks can be reduced, thereby makingit possible to suppress the variation in the characteristics of thesemiconductor device.

Thus, the basic concept of the present embodiment is premised on theformation of the conductor patterns CPA and CPB by the combination ofthe first patterning using the first mask and the second pattering usingthe second mask. Further, the present basic concept is a concept thatthe conductor pattern CPA and the conductor pattern CPB are respectivelydivided into the portions formed by the first patterning and theportions formed by the second patterning in such a manner that theportion where the distance becomes smaller than the case where nopositional displacement occurs between the masks, and the portion wherethe distance becomes larger than the case where no positionaldisplacement occurs between the masks exist.

In other words, the present basic concept can also be taken as a conceptthat when the positional displacement occurs between the masks, theconductor pattern CPA and the conductor pattern CPB are respectivelydivided into the portions formed by the first patterning and theportions formed by the second patterning in such a manner that theportion where the capacity becomes smaller than the case where nopositional displacement occurs between the masks and the portion wherethe capacity becomes larger than the case where no positionaldisplacement occurs between the masks exist.

For example, the capacity formed by the first portion P1 (A) of theconductor pattern CPA and the first portion P1 (B) of the conductorpattern CPB is defined as a first inter-conductor capacity. The capacityformed by the second portion P2 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA and thesecond portion P2 (B) of the conductor pattern CPB is defined as asecond inter-conductor capacity. In this case, the basic concept of thepresent embodiment can take an embodied form that when the positionaldisplacement occurs between the masks, the first inter-conductorcapacity becomes larger than the case where no positional displacementoccurs between the masks, while the second inter-conductor capacitybecomes smaller than the case where no positional displacement occursbetween the masks. Alternatively, the basic concept can also takeanother embodied form that when the positional displacement occursbetween the masks, the first inter-conductor capacity becomes smallerthan the case where no positional displacement occurs between the masks,while the second inter-conductor capacity becomes larger than the casewhere no positional displacement occurs between the masks.

Here, the change in the entire capacity related to the conductor patternCPA and the conductor pattern CPB where the positional displacementoccurs between the masks is represented by addition of the aboveincrease in the first inter-conductor capacity and the above decrease inthe second inter-conductor capacity or addition of the above decrease inthe first inter-conductor capacity and the above increase in the secondinter-conductor capacity. Therefore, from the viewpoint of reducing thechange in the entire capacity, the change in the first inter-conductorcapacity and the change in the second inter-conductor capacity arepreferably as equal as possible. This is because since the capacitychange is completely canceled if the change in the first inter-conductorcapacity and the change in the second inter-conductor capacity areequal, the variation in the entire capacity can be reduced to a valuethat becomes small without limit. From this point of view, it isdesirable that, for example, the area of the first portion P1 (A) of theconductor pattern CPA and the area of the second portion P2 (A) of theconductor pattern CPA are equal, and the area of the first portion P1(B) of the conductor pattern CPB and the area of the second portion P2(B) of the conductor pattern CPB are equal.

This is the basic concept of the present embodiment, but furthercontrivance is made upon embodying the basic concept in the presentembodiment. This point will be described below.

When the second portion P2 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA is formeddeviated from the first portion P1 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA inFIG. 2B, for example, there is a possibility that the portion to couplethe first portion P1 (A) and the second portion P2 (A) will be narrow,and the reliability of coupling between the first portion P1 (A) and thesecond portion P2 (A) will be degraded. In extreme cases, there is alsoa possibility that the first portion P1 (A) and the second portion P2(A) will be disconnected.

That is, the above-described basic concept is characterized in that, forexample, the conductor pattern CPA is divided into the first portion P1(A) and the second portion P2 (A), and the first portion P1 (A) and thesecond portion P2 (A) are formed by patterning using the differentmasks. This is because when, however, consideration is taken that thebasic concept is actually embodied, it is necessary to consider thedegradation of the reliability of coupling between the first portion P1(A) and the second portion P2 (A) due to the positional displacementbetween the masks.

Thus, in the present embodiment, when the basic concept is embodied, acontrivance is made to suppress the degradation of the reliability ofcoupling between the first portion P1 (A) of the conductor pattern CPAand the second portion P2 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA even when thepositional displacement between the masks occurs.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are respectively diagrams for describing such a point ofcontrivance. In FIG. 3A, a conductor pattern CPA has a first portion P1(A) and a second portion P2 (A) and further has a coupling portion CNP(A) that couples the first portion P1 (A) and the second portion P2 (A).At this time, the first portion P1 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA isarranged to extend in a y direction. Further, the second portion P2 (A)of the conductor pattern CPA extends in the y direction and is arrangeddeviated from the first portion P1 (A) in an x direction orthogonal tothe y direction. The coupling portion CNP (A) is arranged to extend inthe x direction while coupling the first portion P1 (A) and the secondportion P2 (A).

Likewise, in FIG. 3B, a conductor pattern CPB has a first portion P1 (B)and a second portion P2 (B) and further has a coupling portion CNP (B)that couples the first portion P1 (B) and the second portion P2 (B). Atthis time, the first portion P1 (B) of the conductor pattern CPB isarranged to extend in the y direction. Further, the second portion P2(B) of the conductor pattern CPB extends in the y direction and isarranged deviated from the first portion P1 (B) in the x directionorthogonal to the y direction. The coupling portion CNP (B) is arrangedto extend in the x direction while coupling the first portion P1 (B) andthe second portion P2 (B).

Here, as shown in FIG. 3A, each of the second portion P2 (A) of theconductor pattern CPA and the first portion P1 (B) of the conductorpattern CPB is arranged over a straight line (virtual straight line).The conductor pattern CPA and the conductor pattern CPB are arranged tobe nearly point symmetric with respect to the central point in the ydirection on the virtual straight line. Further, the conductor patternCPA and the conductor pattern CPB are arranged to run side by side witheach other.

At this time, the term “conductor pattern CPA and conductor pattern CPBrunning side by side with each other” means that the conductor patternCPA and the conductor pattern CPB extend while maintaining the distancebetween the conductor patterns CPA and CPB at a prescribed distance (L)irrespectively of the shapes of the conductor patterns CPA and CPB.

For example, the term “parallel to each other” is considered to meanthat as shown in FIG. 2A, the conductor patterns CPA and CPB shapedlinearly relative to each other normally extend in the y direction whilemaintaining them at the prescribed distance (L). On the other hand, theterm “running side by side with each other” is used as intended for aconcept also including a state in which as shown in FIG. 3A, forexample, the conductor pattern CPA having no linear shape and theconductor pattern CPB having no linear shape extend while beingmaintained at the prescribed distance (L). That is, the “conductorpatterns CAP and CPB running side by side with each other” used in thepresent specification serve as a concept wider than the “conductorpatterns CPA and CPB parallel to each other” in that the shape of theconductor pattern CPA and the shape of the conductor pattern CPB alsoinclude the non-linear shapes.

Consider where the positional displacement occurs between the masks inthe conductor patterns CPA and CPB configured so as to include thecoupling portion CNP (A) and the coupling portion CNP (B) in this way.FIG. 3B is a diagram showing, for example, the case where the conductorpatterns CPA and CPB are formed in a state in which the first mask usedin the first patterning is positionally displaced by “a” in the xdirection with respect to the second mask used in the second patterning.

When attention is first paid to the conductor pattern CPA, the firstportion P1 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA and the second portion P2(A) of the conductor pattern CPA are reliably coupled to each other bythe coupling portion CNP (A) when no positional displacement occursbetween the masks as shown in FIG. 3A. Further, in the presentembodiment, it is found that even when the positional displacementoccurs between the masks as shown in FIG. 3B, the reliability ofcoupling between the first portion P1 (A) of the conductor pattern CPAand the second portion P2 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA becomesreliable by the presence of the coupling portion CNP (A).

When attention is next paid to the conductor pattern CPB, the firstportion P1 (B) of the conductor pattern CPB and the second portion P2(B) of the conductor pattern CPB are reliably coupled to each other bythe coupling portion CNP (B) where no positional displacement occursbetween the masks as shown in FIG. 3A. Further, in the presentembodiment, it is found that even when the positional displacementoccurs between the masks as shown in FIG. 3B, the reliability ofcoupling between the first portion P1 (B) of the conductor pattern CPBand the second portion P2 (B) of the conductor pattern CPB is made sureby the presence of the coupling portion CNP (B). That is, in the case ofthe conductor pattern CPB as shown in FIG. 3B, the second portion P2 (B)of the conductor pattern CPB is protruded from the coupling portion CNP(B) due to the positional displacement between the masks, but is coupledto the side surface of the coupling portion CNP (B) even at theprotruded portion, so that the reliability of coupling between thesecond portion P2 (B) of the conductor pattern CPB and the couplingportion CNP (B) is maintained.

From the above, according to the present embodiment, even when thepositional displacement occurs between the masks, the reliability ofcoupling of the first portion P1 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA andthe second portion P2 (A) thereof can be ensured by coupling the firstportion P1 (A) and the second portion P2 (A) of the conductor patternCPA to each other by the coupling portion CNP (A).

Likewise, according to the present embodiment, even when the positionaldisplacement occurs between the masks, the reliability of coupling ofthe first portion P1 (B) and the second portion P2 (A) of the conductorpattern CPB can be ensured by coupling the first portion P1 (B) and thesecond portion P2 (B) of the conductor pattern CPB to each other by thecoupling portion CNP (B).

To sum up the above, the first feature point in the present embodimentresides in that when the positional displacement occurs between themasks, the conductor pattern CPA and the conductor pattern CPB arerespectively divided into the portions formed by the first patterningand the portions formed by the second patterning in such a manner thatthe portion where the distance becomes smaller than the case where nopositional displacement occurs between the masks, and the portion wherethe distance becomes larger than the case where no positionaldisplacement occurs between the masks exist. In other words, the firstfeature point in the present embodiment resides in that as shown inFIGS. 2A and 2B, for example, the first portion P1 (A) of the conductorpattern CPA and the second portion P2 (B) of the conductor pattern CPBare formed by the first patterning using the same first mask, while thesecond portion P2 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA and the first portionP1 (B) of the conductor pattern CPB are formed by the second patterningusing the same second mask.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, even when the positionaldisplacement occurs between the first mask used in the first patterningand the second mask used in the second patterning, it is possible tosuppress the variation in the value of the capacity formed between theconductor patterns CPA and CPB.

Further, the second feature point in the present embodiment resides inthat from the viewpoint of facilitating embodying of the above-describedfirst feature point, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, for example, theconductor pattern CPA is formed from the configuration of coupling ofthe first portion P1 (A) and the second portion P2 (A) by the couplingportion CNP (A), and the conductor pattern CPB is formed from theconfiguration of coupling of the first portion P1 (B) and the secondportion P2 (B) by the coupling portion CNP (B).

Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppressdegradation of the reliability of coupling of the first portion P1 (A)and the second portion P2 (A) of the conductor pattern CPA due to thepositional displacement between the masks by virtue of theabove-described second feature point while holding the advantage of theabove first feature point that the variation in the value of thecapacity formed between the conductor pattern CPA and the conductorpattern CPB can be suppressed.

<Manufacturing Method of Conductor Patterns in the First Embodiment>

Subsequently, a description will be made about a method formanufacturing conductor patterns in the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is aflowchart showing the flow of manufacturing conductor patterns in thepresent embodiment. The conductor patterns referred to here areassuming, for example, capacitive elements and wirings. These componentsare formed over a main surface of a semiconductor substrate. At thistime, the term “over the main surface of the semiconductor substrate” isused in a concept including not only the case where they are formeddirectly on the semiconductor substrate, but also the case where, forexample, a semiconductor element typified by a field effect transistoris formed in the semiconductor substrate and after an interlayerinsulating film covering the semiconductor element is formed, they areformed over the interlayer insulating film. That is, the “over the mainsurface of the semiconductor substrate” described in the presentspecification is used with the intention including not only “on thesemiconductor substrate (on)”, but also “over the semiconductorsubstrate (over)”.

First, in FIG. 4, for example, a semiconductor substrate comprised of asilicon single crystal is prepared and a conductor film is formed overthe main surface of the semiconductor substrate (S101). The conductorfilm is formed of, for example, an aluminum film, a copper film (Cufilm) or a polysilicon film. Particularly, when the conductor film isthe aluminium film, it is formed by using a sputtering method. When theconductor film is the copper film, it is formed by using a damascenetechnology. When the conductor film is the polysilicon film, it isformed by using a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method.

Next, first patterning using a first mask is applied to the formedconductor film to form a first portion of a first conductor pattern, anda second portion of a second conductor pattern (S102). Specifically, asshown in FIG. 3A, for example, the first portion P1 (A) of the conductorpattern CPA and the second portion P2 (B) of the conductor pattern CPBare formed.

Subsequently, second patterning using a second mask is applied to theformed conductor film to form a second portion of the first conductorpattern and a first portion of the second conductor pattern (S103).Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3A, for example, the second portion P2(A) of the conductor pattern CPA and the first portion P1 (B) of theconductor pattern CPB are formed.

Thereafter, patterning of a first coupling portion that couples thefirst portion and the second portion of the first conductor pattern isperformed on the formed conductor film (S104). Subsequently, patterningof a second coupling portion that couples the first portion and thesecond portion of the second conductor pattern is performed (S105).Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3A, for example, a coupling portion CNP(A) used as the first coupling portion is formed and thereafter acoupling portion CNP (B) used as the second coupling portion is formed.

The first conductor pattern and the second conductor pattern in thepresent embodiment can be formed in the way described above.Specifically, for example, the conductor pattern CPA and the conductorpattern CPB both shown in FIG. 3A and running side by side with eachother can be manufactured.

Incidentally, although there has been described in FIG. 4, the examplein which the second patterning using the second mask is performed afterthe execution of the first patterning using the first mask, but theinvention is not limited to it. The first patterning using the firstmask may be performed after the execution of the second patterning usingthe second mask. There has also been described in FIG. 4, the example inwhich the patterning of the second coupling portion is carried out afterthe execution of the patterning of the first coupling portion, but thepatterning of the first coupling portion may be performed after theexecution of the patterning of the second coupling portion. Furthermore,Steps S102 through S105 shown in FIG. 4 are not necessarily required tobe carried out in this order and may be switched in arbitrary order.

<Application Example of Basic Concept of the First Embodiment toCapacitive Element>

A description will hereafter be made about an example in which the basicconcept of the first embodiment is applied to a capacitive elementcomprised of conductor patterns.

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a planar configuration of a capacitiveelement CAP1 in the present embodiment. In FIG. 5, the capacitiveelement CAP1 is comprised of a comb-type electrode CSE1 and a comb-typeelectrode CSE2. The comb-type electrode CSE1 has a structure in which anelectrode ELA and an electrode ELC both extending in a y direction areintegrally coupled in an x direction. The comb-type electrode CSE2 alsohas a structure in which an electrode ELB and an electrode ELD bothextending in the y direction are integrally coupled in the x direction.Further, the comb-type electrode CSE1 and the comb-type electrode CSE2are arranged in such a manner that the electrodes ELA through ELD arealternately adjacent to each other. At this time, the distance betweenthe electrodes ELA and ELB, the distance between the electrodes ELB andthe ELC, and the distance between the electrodes ELC and ELD all become“L”.

Then, the electrode ELA that configures part of the comb-type electrodeCSE1 has a first portion P1 (A) and a second portion P2 (A) and furtherhas a coupling portion CNP (A) that couples the first portion P1 (A) andthe second portion P2 (A). At this time, the first portion P1 (A) of theelectrode ELA is arranged to extend in the y direction. Further, thesecond portion P2 (A) of the electrode ELA extends in the y directionand is arranged deviated from the first portion P1 (A) in the xdirection orthogonal to the y direction. Then, the coupling portion CNP(A) is arranged to extend in the x direction while coupling the firstportion P1 (A) and the second portion P2 (A).

Likewise, the electrode ELC that configures part of the comb-typeelectrode CSE1 has a first portion P1 (C) and a second portion P2 (C)and further has a coupling portion CNP (C) that couples the firstportion P1 (C) and the second portion P2 (C). At this time, the firstportion P1 (C) of the electrode ELC is arranged to extend in the ydirection. Further, the second portion P2 (C) of the electrode ELCextends in the y direction and is arranged deviated from the firstportion P1 (C) in the x direction orthogonal to the y direction. Then,the coupling portion CNP (C) is arranged to extend in the x directionwhile coupling the first portion P1 (C) and the second portion P2 (C).

Also, the electrode ELB that configures part of the comb-type electrodeCSE2 has a first portion P1 (B) and a second portion P2 (B) and furtherhas a coupling portion CNP (B) that couples the first portion P1 (B) andthe second portion P2 (B). At this time, the first portion P1 (B) of theelectrode ELB is arranged to extend in the y direction. Further, thesecond portion P2 (B) of the electrode ELB extends in the y directionand is arranged deviated from the first portion P1 (B) in the xdirection orthogonal to the y direction. Then, the coupling portion CNP(B) is arranged to extend in the x direction while coupling the firstportion P1 (B) and the second portion P2 (B).

Likewise, the electrode ELD that configures part of the comb-typeelectrode CSE2 has a first portion P1 (D) and a second portion P2 (D)and further has a coupling portion CNP (D) that couples the firstportion P1 (D) and the second portion P2 (D). At this time, the firstportion P1 (D) of the electrode ELD is arranged to extend in the ydirection. Further, the second portion P2 (D) of the electrode ELDextends in the y direction and is arranged deviated from the firstportion P1 (D) in the x direction orthogonal to the y direction. Then,the coupling portion CNP (D) is arranged to extend in the x directionwhile coupling the first portion P1 (D) and the second portion P2 (D).

Incidentally, in FIG. 5A, the second portion P2 (B) of the electrode ELBand the first portion P1 (C) of the electrode ELC are arranged over astraight line (virtual straight line) extending in the y direction. Theelectrodes ELB and ELC are arranged to be point symmetric with respectto the central point of the virtual straight line in the y direction.Further, the electrodes ELA and ELD are also arranged to be pointsymmetric with respect to the central point thereof.

When attention is paid to the electrodes ELA and ELB adjacent to eachother in the capacitive element CAP1 in the present embodiment, theelectrode ELA is divided into the first portion P1 (A) and the secondportion P2 (A). Further, the electrode ELB adjacent to the electrode ELAis also divided into the first portion P1 (B) and the second portion P2(B). The first portion P1 (A) of the electrode ELA and the secondportion P2 (B) of the electrode ELB are formed by first patterning usingthe same first mask, while the second portion P2 (A) of the electrodeELA and the first portion P1 (B) of the electrode ELB are formed bysecond patterning using the same second mask. That is, as shown in FIG.5A, the first portion P1 (A) of the electrode ELA and the first portionP1 (B) of the electrode ELB both facing each other are formed bypatterning using masks different from each other. Further, the secondportion P2 (A) of the electrode. ELA and the second portion P2 (B) ofthe electrode ELB are also formed by patterning using masks differentfrom each other.

Likewise, when attention is paid to the electrodes ELC and ELD adjacentto each other, the electrode ELC is divided into the first portion P1(C) and the second portion P2 (C). Further, the electrode ELD adjacentto the electrode ELC is also divided into the first portion P1 (D) andthe second portion P2 (D). The first portion P1 (C) of the electrode ELCand the second portion P2 (D) of the electrode ELD are formed by firstpatterning using the same first mask, while the second portion P2 (C) ofthe electrode ELC and the first portion P1 (D) of the electrode ELD areformed by second patterning using the same second mask. That is, asshown in FIG. 5A, the first portion P1 (C) of the electrode ELC and thefirst portion P1 (D) of the electrode ELD both facing each other areformed by patterning using masks different to each other. Further, thesecond portion P2 (C) of the electrode ELC and the second portion P2 (D)of the electrode ELD both facing each other are also formed bypatterning using masks different from each other.

Thus, according to the capacitive element CAP1 in the presentembodiment, it is possible to suppress a variation in the capacity valueeven when the positional displacement occurs between the first mask usedin the first patterning and the second mask used in the secondpatterning.

Assume that for example, as shown in FIG. 5B, the position of the secondmask used in the second patterning is displaced by “a” in the xdirection (right side) with respect to the position of the first maskused in the first patterning.

When attention is paid to the electrodes ELA and ELB adjacent to eachother in this case, as shown in FIG. 5B, the first portion P1 (B) of theelectrode ELB arranged on the right side is further shifted to the rightside in the relation between the first portion P1 (A) of the electrodeELA and the first portion P1 (B) of the electrode ELB. Thus, thedistance between the first portion P1 (A) of the electrode ELA and thefirst portion P1 (B) of the electrode ELB both facing each other extendsto “L+a”. As a result, in the relation between the first portion P1 (A)of the electrode ELA and the first portion P1 (B) of the electrode ELB,a change in the capacity due to the positional displacement between themasks becomes a change in the direction in which the capacity isreduced.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, the second portion P2 (A) of theelectrode ELA arranged on the left side is shifted to the right side inthe relation between the second portion P2 (A) of the electrode ELA andthe second portion P2 (B) of the electrode ELB. Thus, the distancebetween the second portion P2 (A) of the electrode ELA and the secondportion P2 (B) of the electrode ELB both facing each other is narrowedto “L−a”. As a result, in the relation between the second portion P2 (A)of the electrode ELA and the second portion P2 (B) of the electrode ELB,a change in the capacity due to the positional displacement between themasks becomes a change in the direction in which the capacity becomeslarger.

Thus, when the entire capacity related to the electrodes ELA and ELB isconsidered, a change in the entire capacity due to the positionaldisplacement between the masks is canceled and reduced by a decrease inthe capacity between the first portion P1 (A) of the electrode ELA andthe first portion P1 (B) of the electrode ELB and an increase in thecapacity between the second portion P2 (A) of the electrode ELA and thesecond portion P2 (B) of the electrode ELB. As a result, according tothe capacitive element CAP1 in the present embodiment, the variation inthe capacity between the electrodes ELA and ELB due to the positionaldisplacement between the masks can be reduced, thereby making itpossible to suppress the variation in the characteristics of thesemiconductor device.

Likewise, when attention is paid to the electrodes ELB and ELC adjacentto each other, as shown in FIG. 5B, the first portion P1 (B) of theelectrode ELB arranged on the left side is shifted to the right side inthe relation between the first portion P1 (B) of the electrode ELB andthe first portion P1 (C) of the electrode ELC, so that the distancebetween the first portion P1 (B) of the electrode ELB and the firstportion P1 (C) of the electrode ELC both facing each other is narrowedto “L−a”. As a result, in the relation between the first portion P1 (B)of the electrode ELB and the first portion P1 (C) of the electrode ELC,a change in the capacity due to the positional displacement between themasks becomes a change in the direction in which the capacity becomeslarger.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, the second portion P2 (C) of theelectrode ELC arranged on the right side is further shifted to the rightside in the relation between the second portion P2 (B) of the electrodeELB and the second portion P2 (C) of the electrode ELC. Thus, thedistance between the second portion P2 (B) of the electrode ELB and thesecond portion P2 (C) of the electrode ELC both facing each otherextends to “L+a”. As a result, in the relation between the secondportion P2 (B) of the electrode ELB and the second portion P2 (C) of theelectrode ELC, a change in the capacity due to the positionaldisplacement between the masks becomes a change in the direction inwhich the capacity is reduced.

Thus, when the entire capacity related to the electrodes ELB and ELC isconsidered, a change in the entire capacity due to the positionaldisplacement between the masks is canceled and reduced by an increase inthe capacity between the first portion P1 (B) of the electrode ELB andthe first portion P1 (C) of the electrode ELC and a decrease in thecapacity between the second portion P2 (B) of the electrode ELB and thesecond portion P2 (C) of the electrode ELC. As a result, according tothe capacitive element CAP1 in the present embodiment, the variation inthe capacity between the electrode ELB and the electrode ELC due to thepositional displacement between the masks can be reduced, thereby makingit possible to suppress the variation in the characteristics of thesemiconductor device.

Further, when attention is paid to the electrodes ELC and ELD adjacentto each other, as shown in FIG. 5B, the first portion P1 (D) of theelectrode ELD arranged on the right side is further shifted to the rightside in the relation between the first portion P1 (C) of the electrodeELC and the first portion P1 (D) of the electrode ELD, so that thedistance between the first portion P1 (C) of the electrode ELC and thefirst portion P1 (D) of the electrode ELD both facing each other extendsto “L+a”. As a result, in the relation between the first portion P1 (C)of the electrode ELC and the first portion P1 (D) of the electrode ELD,a change in the capacity due to the positional displacement between themasks becomes a change in the direction in which the capacity becomessmaller.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, the second portion P2 (C) of theelectrode ELC arranged on the left side is shifted to the right side inthe relation between the second portion P2 (C) of the electrode ELC andthe second portion P2 (D) of the electrode ELD, so that the distancebetween the second portion P2 (C) of the electrode ELC and the secondportion P2 (D) of the electrode ELD both facing each other is narrowedto “L−a”. As a result, in the relation between the second portion P2 (C)of the electrode ELC and the second portion P2 (D) of the electrode ELD,a change in the capacity due to the positional displacement between themasks becomes a change in the direction in which the capacity becomeslarger.

Thus, when the entire capacity related to the electrodes ELC and ELD isconsidered, a change in the entire capacity due to the positionaldisplacement between the masks is canceled and reduced by a decrease inthe capacity between the first portion P1 (C) of the electrode ELC andthe first portion P1 (D) of the electrode ELD and an increase in thecapacity between the second portion P2 (C) of the electrode ELC and thesecond portion P2 (D) of the electrode ELD. As a result, according tothe capacitive element CAP1 in the present embodiment, the variation inthe capacity between the electrodes ELC and ELD due to the positionaldisplacement between the masks can be reduced, thereby making itpossible to suppress the variation in the characteristics of thesemiconductor device.

Since the variation in the capacity formed by the electrodes ELA andELB, the variation in the capacity formed by the electrodes ELB and ELC,and the variation in the capacity formed by the electrodes ELC and ELDcan be reduced as described above, it is possible to provide thehigh-precision capacitive element CAP1 that has reduced an influence ofthe variation in the characteristics due to the positional displacementbetween the masks according to the present embodiment. Particularly, itis desirable that from the viewpoint of effectively suppressing thevariation in the capacity value, the area of the first patterning andthe area of the second patterning are approximately equalized.

A description will next be made from the quantitative viewpoint, aboutthe point that the variation in the capacity due to the positionaldisplacement between the masks can be suppressed as compared with thecapacitive element CAP (R) in the related art shown in FIGS. 1A and 1Baccording to the capacitive element CAP1 in the present embodiment shownin FIGS. 5A and 5B.

First, FIG. 5A shows the case where the electrodes ELA through ELD areformed in the state in which no positional displacement occurs betweenthe first mask used in the first patterning and the second mask used inthe second patterning in the double patterning method. In this case, theinterval between the electrodes ELA and ELB, the interval between theelectrodes ELB and ELC, and the interval between the electrodes ELC andELD are all equal to each other and respectively become “L”, forexample. Thus, the capacity between the electrodes ELA and ELB, thecapacity between the electrodes ELB and ELC, and the capacity betweenthe electrodes ELC and ELD are all equal to each other. For example, thecapacitance values thereof are taken to be “C”. At this time, thecapacitance value of the capacitive element CAP1 in the presentembodiment becomes “3C” (design value) because the three inter-electrodecapacities described above are coupled in parallel.

Subsequently, FIG. 5B is a diagram showing the case where the electrodesELA through ELD are formed in the state in which the second mask used inthe second patterning is positionally displaced by “a” in the xdirection with respect to the first mask used in the first patterning.In FIG. 5B, as a result of the positional displacement of the secondmask by “a” in the x direction with respect to the first mask, thecapacity of the capacitive element CAP1 in the state in which thepositional displacement exists between the masks is represented like anequation (3) shown below:

$\begin{matrix}{{{1 \cdot C \cdot {L/( {L - a} )}} + {1 \cdot C \cdot {L/( {L + a} )}} + {{1/2} \cdot C \cdot {L/( {L - a} )}} + {{1/2} \cdot C \cdot {L/( {L + a} )}}} = {{\{ {{1.5 \cdot C \cdot L \cdot ( {L + a} )} + {1.5 \cdot C \cdot L \cdot ( {L - a} )}} \}/\{ {( {L + a} )( {L - a} )} \}} = {3 \cdot C \cdot L \cdot {L/\{ {( {L + a} )( {L - a} )} \}}}}} & (3)\end{matrix}$

Accordingly, the difference that occurs between the case where thepositional displacement exists between the masks and the case where nopositional displacement exists therebetween is represented like anequation (4):

$\begin{matrix}\begin{matrix} { {{Difference} = {{3 \cdot C} - {( {3 \cdot C \cdot L \cdot L} )/\{ {L + a} \}}}} \}( {L - a} )} \} \\{= {{- 3} \cdot C \cdot a \cdot {a/\{ {( {L + a} )( {L - a} )} \}}}}\end{matrix} & (4)\end{matrix}$

From the above, when the positional displacement exists between themasks in the double patterning method, the capacitance value of thecapacitive element CAP1 in the present embodiment is varied by thedifference expressed in the equation (4) from “3C” (design value).

Here, the variation in the capacity of the capacitive element CAP (R) inthe related art is expressed in the equation (2), and the variation inthe capacity of the capacitive element CAP1 in the present embodiment isexpressed in the equation (4). Accordingly, when the difference betweenthe equations (2) and (4) is taken to compare the magnitude of thevariation in the capacity of the capacitive element CAP1 in the presentembodiment with that of the variation in the capacity of the capacitiveelement CAP (R) in the related art, it is represented like an equation(5):(Equation 2)−(Equation 4)=C·L·a/{(L+a)(L−a)}  (5)

That is, the variation in the capacity of the capacitive element CAP (R)in the related art becomes larger by the amount expressed in theequation (5) than the variation in the capacity of the capacitiveelement CAP1 in the present embodiment. In other words, according to thecapacitive element CAP1 in the present embodiment, it is possible toreduce the variation in its capacity by the amount expressed in theequation (5) more than the variation in the capacity of the capacitiveelement CAP (R) in the related art.

Thus, according to the capacitive element CAP1 in the presentembodiment, the variation in the capacity due to the positionaldisplacement between the masks can be reduced even by using the doublepatterning method, whereby the high-precision capacitive element CAP1can be provided. That is, according to the present embodiment, it ispossible to provide the capacitive element CAP1 that suppresses thevariation in the characteristics of the capacitive element CAP1 due tothe mask misalignment and is high in precision, while maintaining theadvantage of double patterning capable of coping with themicrominiaturization exceeding the performance limit of themicrofabrication technology using the single mask.

Further, even in the capacitive element CAP1 in the present embodiment,as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, for example, the electrode ELA is formedfrom the configuration of coupling of the first portion P1 (A) and thesecond portion P2 (A) by the coupling portion CNP (A), and the electrodeELB is formed from the configuration of coupling of the first portion P1(B) and the second portion P2 (B) by the coupling portion CNP (B).Likewise, in the capacitive element CAP1 in the present embodiment, theelectrode ELC is formed from the configuration of coupling of the firstportion P1 (C) and the second portion P2 (C) by the coupling portion CNP(C), and the electrode ELD is formed from the configuration of couplingof the first portion P1 (D) and the second portion P2 (D) by thecoupling portion CNP (D). Thus, according to the present embodiment,degradation of the reliability of coupling between the first and secondportions due to the positional displacement between the masks can besuppressed at the respective electrodes ELA through ELD by adopting theelectrode structure having the above-described coupling portions CNP (A)through CNP (D) while maintaining the advantage that the variation inthe capacity due to the positional displacement between the masks can besuppressed.

<First Modification>

A description will next be made about a capacitive element CAP2 in thepresent modification. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a planar configurationof the capacitive element CAP2 in the present modification. Since thecapacitive element CAP2 in the present modification shown in FIG. 6 isnearly similar in configuration to the capacitive element CAP1 in thefirst embodiment shown in FIG. 5A, the capacitive element CAP2 will bedescribed centering on differences therebetween.

In FIG. 6, in the capacitive element CAP2 in the present modification,for example, a coupling portion that couples a first portion P1 (A) ofan electrode ELA and a second portion P2 (A) thereof is formedintegrally with the second portion P2 (A). Similarly, in the capacitiveelement CAP2 in the present modification, a coupling portion thatcouples a first portion P1 (B) of an electrode ELB and a second portionP2 (B) thereof is formed integrally with the second portion P2 (B). Acoupling portion that couples a first portion P1 (C) of an electrode ELCand a second portion P2 (C) thereof is formed integrally with the secondportion P2 (C). Further, a coupling portion that couples a first portionP1 (D) of an electrode ELD and a second portion P2 (D) thereof is formedintegrally with the second portion P2 (D). In this case, the firstportions, the second portions and the coupling portions are formed withthe same layer at the electrodes ELA through ELD.

According to the configuration of such a modification, since thecoupling portions can be formed simultaneously by patterning of thesecond portions, the manufacturing process of the capacitive elementCAP2 can be simplified even while using the double patterning method.

Incidentally, the present modification has described the example inwhich the coupling portion and the second portion are formed integrally,but is not limited to this. For example, the coupling portion and thefirst portion can also be formed integrally.

<Second Modification>

A description will next be made about a capacitive element CAP3 in thepresent modification. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a planar configurationof the capacitive element CAP3 in the present modification. Since thecapacitive element CAP3 in the present modification shown in FIG. 7 isnearly similar in configuration to the capacitive element CAP1 in thefirst embodiment shown in FIG. 5A, the capacitive element CAP3 will bedescribed centering on differences therebetween.

In FIG. 7, in the capacitive element CAP3 in the present modification,for example, a coupling portion that couples a first portion P1 (A) ofan electrode ELA and a second portion P2 (A) thereof is formed with alayer different from the first portion P1 (A) and the second portion P2(A). Likewise, in the capacitive element CAP3 in the presentmodification, a coupling portion that couples a first portion P1 (B) anda second portion P2 (B) of an electrode ELB is formed with a layerdifferent from the first portion P1 (B) and the second portion P2 (B). Acoupling portion that couples a first portion P1 (C) and a secondportion P2 (C) of an electrode ELC is formed with a layer different fromthe first portion P1 (C) and the second portion P2 (C). Further, acoupling portion that couples a first portion P1 (D) and a secondportion P2 (D) of an electrode ELD is formed with a layer different fromthe first portion P1 (D) and the second portion P2 (D).

In this case, for example, at each of the electrodes ELA through ELD,the coupling portion that couples the first portion and the secondportion is formed in a layer above or below the layer formed with thefirst and second portions. The coupling of the coupling portion and thefirst portion, and the coupling of the coupling portion and the secondportion are performed through plugs, for example.

<Third Modification>

Subsequently, a description will be made about a capacitive element CAP4in the present modification. FIG. 8 is a typical diagram showing theconfiguration of the capacitive element CAP4 in the presentmodification. As shown in FIG. 8, for example, the capacitive elementCAP4 in the present modification takes a three-dimensional structure inwhich capacities are formed over a plurality of layers. Even in thecapacitive element CAP4 having such a three-dimensional structure, thetechnical concept in the first embodiment can be applied to the capacityformed in each layer.

Specifically, in FIG. 8, the capacity provided with the first and secondfeature points of the first embodiment is formed in each of the threelayers laminated on each other. One electrode of each of the laminatedand arranged capacities is coupled to a common node X, and the otherelectrode of each of the capacities is coupled to a common node Y. Thus,the technical concept in the first embodiment can be applied not only tothe capacitive element formed in one plane, but also to the capacitiveelement CAP4 having such a three-dimensional structure as shown in FIG.8.

<Fourth Modification>

A description will next be made about a capacitive element CAP5 in thepresent modification. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a planar configurationof the capacitive element CAP5 in the present modification. Since thecapacitive element CAP5 in the present modification shown in FIG. 9 isnearly similar in configuration to the capacitive element CAP1 in thefirst embodiment shown in FIG. 5A, the capacitive element CAP5 will bedescribed centering on differences therebetween.

In FIG. 9, the feature point of the present modification will bedescribed below by paying attention to an electrode ELA that configurespart of a comb-type electrode CSE1 and an electrode ELB that configurespart of a comb-type electrode CSE2. As shown in FIG. 9, the electrodesELA and ELB are arranged in positions adjacent to each other and extendto run side by side with each other while maintaining them with aprescribed distance from each other.

Here, the feature point of the present modification resides in that theelectrode ELA is divided into a first portion P1 (A), a second portionP2 (A) and a third portion P3 (A) and that the first portion P1 (A) andthe second portion P2 (A) are coupled by a first coupling portion CNP1(A) and the second portion P2 (A) and the third portion P3 (A) arecoupled by a second coupling portion CNP2 (A). That is, in the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 5A, the electrode ELA has been divided into thetwo portions and configured to have one coupling portion that couplesthe divided portions to each other. On the other hand, the capacitiveelement CAP5 in the present modification shown in FIG. 9 differs fromthe capacitive element CAP1 in the first embodiment in that theelectrode ELA is divided into the three portions and configured to havethe two coupling portions that couple the divided portions to eachother.

Likewise, in the present modification, as shown in FIG. 9, the electrodeELB is also divided into a first portion P1 (B), a second portion P2 (B)and a third portion P_3 (B). The first portion P1 (B) and the secondportion P2 (B) are coupled by a first coupling portion CNP1 (B), and thesecond portion P2 (B) and the third portion P3 (B) are coupled by asecond coupling portion CNP2 (B).

The first feature point of the first embodiment is reflected even to thecapacitive element CAP5 in the present modification configured in thisway. That is, when attention is paid to the electrodes ELA and ELBadjacent to each other, the electrode ELA is divided into the firstportion P1 (A), the second portion P2 (A) and the third portion P3 (A),and the electrode ELB adjacent to the electrode ELA is also divided intothe first portion P1 (B), the second portion P2 (B) and the thirdportion P3 (B).

Then, the first portion P1 (A) of the electrode ELA, the second portionP2 (B) of the electrode ELB, and the third portion P3 (A) of theelectrode ELA are formed by first patterning using the same first mask,while the second portion P2 (A) of the electrode ELA, the first portionP1 (B) of the electrode ELB, and the third portion P3 (B) of theelectrode ELB are formed by second patterning using the same secondmask. That is, even in the present modification, as shown in FIG. 9, thefirst portion P1 (A) of the electrode ELA and the first portion P1 (B)of the electrode ELB both facing each other are formed by patterningusing masks different from each other, and the second portion P2 (A) ofthe electrode ELA and the second portion P2 (B) of the electrode ELBboth facing each other are also formed by patterning using masksdifferent from each other. Further, the third portion P3 (A) of theelectrode ELA and the third portion P3 (B) of the electrode ELB bothfacing each other are formed by patterning using masks different fromeach other.

As a result, since the present modification also has the first featurepoint in a manner similar to the first embodiment, it is possible toprovide the high-precision capacitive element CAP5 that has reduced aninfluence of the variation in the characteristics due to the positionaldisplacement between the masks. The present modification is similar tothe first embodiment particularly in that it is desirable that from theviewpoint of effectively suppressing the variation in the capacityvalue, the area of the first patterning and the area of the secondpatterning are approximately equalized.

Further, the present modification also has the second feature point in amanner similar to the first embodiment. That is, even in the presentmodification, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, the electrode ELA isformed from the configuration that the first portion P1 (A) and thesecond portion P2 (A) are coupled by the first coupling portion CNP1(A), and the second portion P2 (A) and the third portion P3 (A) arecoupled by the second coupling portion CNP2 (A). Likewise, in thepresent modification, the electrode ELB is formed from the configurationthat the first portion P1 (B) and the second portion P2 (B) are coupledby the first coupling portion CNP1 (B), and the second portion P2 (B)and the third portion P3 (B) are coupled by the second coupling portionCNP2 (B).

Thus, according to the present modification, degradation of thereliability of coupling between the first and second portions anddegradation of the reliability of coupling between the second and thirdportions both caused by the positional displacement between the maskscan be suppressed at the respective electrodes ELA and ELB by adoptingthe electrode structure having the first and second coupling portions.

<Fifth Modification>

Subsequently, a description will be made about a capacitive element CAPEin the present modification. The capacitive element CAP6 in the presentmodification corresponds to a combined configuration of theconfiguration of the fourth modification and the configuration of thefirst modification. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a planar configurationof the capacitive element CAP6 in the present modification.

Since the capacitive element CAP6 in the present modification also hasthe first and second feature points as shown in FIG. 10, the presentmodification can obtain an advantageous effect similar to the firstembodiment. That is, even in the present modification, it is possible toprovide the high-precision capacitive element CAP6 having reduced aninfluence of a variation in the characteristics due to the positionaldisplacement between masks and suppress degradation of the reliabilityof coupling between the first and second portions and degradation of thereliability of coupling between the second and third portions bothcaused by the positional displacement between the masks.

Further, in the present modification, for example, a first couplingportion that couples a first portion P1 (A) and a second portion P2 (A)of an electrode ELA is formed integrally with the first portion P1 (A),and a second coupling portion that couples the second portion P2 (A) ofthe electrode ELA and a third portion P3 (A) thereof is formedintegrally with the second portion P2 (A). Likewise, in the presentmodification, a first coupling portion that couples a first portion P1(B) and a second portion P2 (B) of an electrode ELB is formed integrallywith the first portion P1 (B), and a second coupling portion thatcouples the second portion P2 (B) of the electrode ELB and a thirdportion P3 (B) thereof is formed integrally with the second portion P2(B).

Thus, according to the configuration of the present modification, thefirst coupling portion can also be formed simultaneously by patterningof the first portion, and the second coupling portion can also be formedsimultaneously by patterning of the second portion, thereby making itpossible to simplify the manufacturing process of the capacitive elementCAP6 even while using the double patterning method.

<Sixth Modification>

A description will be made about a capacitive element CAP7 in thepresent modification. The capacitive element CAP7 in the presentmodification corresponds to a combined configuration of theconfiguration of the fourth modification and the configuration of thesecond modification. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a planar configurationof the capacitive element CAP7 in the present modification.

Since the capacitive element CAP7 in the present modification also hasthe first and second feature points as shown in FIG. 11, the presentmodification can obtain an advantageous effect similar to the firstembodiment. That is, even in the present modification, it is possible toprovide the high-precision capacitive element CAP7 having reduced aninfluence of a variation in the characteristics due to the positionaldisplacement between masks and suppress degradation of the reliabilityof coupling between the first and second portions and degradation of thereliability of coupling between the second and third portions bothcaused by the positional displacement between the masks.

Further, in the present modification, for example, a first couplingportion CNP1 (A) that couples a first portion P1 (A) and a secondportion P2 (A) of an electrode ELA is formed with a layer different fromthe first portion P1 (A) and the second portion P2 (A). Further, asecond coupling portion CNP2 (A) that couples a second portion P2 (A)and a third portion P3 (A) of the electrode ELA is also formed with alayer different from the second portion P2 (A) and the third portion P3(A). Likewise, in the present modification, a first coupling portionCNP1 (B) that couples a first portion P1 (B) and a second portion P2 (B)of an electrode ELB is formed with a layer different from the firstportion P1 (B) and the second portion P2 (A). Further, a second couplingportion CNP2 (B) that couples a second portion P2 (B) and a thirdportion P3 (B) of the electrode ELB is formed with a layer differentfrom the second portion P2 (B) and the third portion P3 (A).

In this case, for example, at each of the electrodes ELA and ELB, thefirst coupling portion that couples the first portion and the secondportion is formed in a layer above or below the layer formed with thefirst and second portions. The coupling of the first coupling portionand the first portion, and the coupling of the first coupling portionand the second portion are performed through plugs, for example.Likewise, the second coupling portion that couples the second portionand the third portion is formed in a layer above or below the layerformed with the second and third portions. The coupling of the secondcoupling portion and the second portion, and the coupling of the secondcoupling portion and the third portion are performed through plugs, forexample.

<Seventh Modification>

Subsequently, a description will be made about a capacitive element CAP8in the present modification. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a planarconfiguration of the capacitive element CAP8 in the presentmodification. Since the capacitive element CAP8 in the presentmodification shown in FIG. 12 is nearly similar in configuration to thecapacitive element CAP1 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5A, thecapacitive element CAP8 will be described centering on differencestherebetween.

In FIG. 12, the feature point of the present modification will bedescribed below by particularly paying attention to an electrode ELAthat configures part of a comb-type electrode CSE1 and an electrode ELBthat configures part of a comb-type electrode CSE2. As shown in FIG. 12,the electrodes ELA and ELB are arranged in positions adjacent to eachother and extend to run side by side with each other while maintainingthem with a prescribed distance from each other.

Here, in the present modification, as shown in FIG. 12, the electrodeELA is divided into a first portion P1 (A), a second portion P2 (A), athird portion P3 (A) and a fourth portion P4 (A). Further, the firstportion P1 (A) and the second portion P2 (A) are coupled by a firstcoupling portion CNP1 (A). The second portion P2 (A) and the thirdportion P3 (A) are coupled by a second coupling portion CNP2 (A). Thethird portion P3 (A) and the fourth portion P4 (A) are coupled by athird coupling portion CNP3.

That is, in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5A, the electrode ELA hasbeen divided into the two portions and configured to have one couplingportion that couples the divided portions. On the other hand, thecapacitive element CPA8 in the present modification shown in FIG. 12differs from the capacitive element CAP1 in the first embodiment in thatthe electrode ELA are divided into the four portions and configured tohave the three coupling portions that couple the divided portions.

Likewise, in the present modification, as shown in FIG. 12, theelectrode ELB is also divided into a first portion P1 (B), a secondportion P2 (B), a third portion P3 (B) and a fourth portion P4 (B).Further, the first portion P1 (B) and the second portion P2 (B) arecoupled by a first coupling portion CNP1 (B). The second portion P2 (B)and the third portion P3 (B) are coupled by a second coupling portionCNP2 (B). The third portion P3 (B) and the fourth portion P4 (B) arecoupled by a third coupling portion CNP3.

The first feature point in the first embodiment has been reflected evenon the capacitive element CAP8 in the present modification configured inthis manner. That is, when attention is paid to the electrodes ELA andELB adjacent to each other, the first portion P1 (A) of the electrodeELA, the third portion P3 (A) of the electrode ELA, the second portionP2 (B) of the electrode ELB and the fourth portion P4 (B) of theelectrode ELB are formed by first patterning using the same first mask.On the other hand, the second portion P2 (A) of the electrode ELA, thefourth portion P4 (A) of the electrode ELA, the first portion P1 (B) ofthe electrode ELB and the third portion P3 (B) of the electrode ELB areformed by second patterning using the same second mask. That is, even inthe present modification, as shown in FIG. 12, the first portion P1 (A)of the electrode ELA and the first portion P1 (B) of the electrode ELBboth facing each other are formed by patterning using masks differentfrom each other, and the second portion P2 (A) of the electrode ELA andthe second portion P2 (B) of the electrode ELB both facing each otherare also formed by patterning using masks different from each other.Further, the third portion P3 (A) of the electrode ELA and the thirdportion P3 (B) of the electrode ELB both facing each other are alsoformed by patterning using masks different from each other, and thefourth portion P4 (A) of the electrode ELA and the fourth portion P4 (B)of the electrode ELB both facing each other are also formed bypatterning using masks different from each other.

As a result, since the present modification also has the first featurepoint in a manner similar to the first embodiment, it is possible toprovide the high-precision capacitive element CAP8 that has reduced aninfluence of a variation in the characteristics due to the positionaldisplacement between the masks. The present modification is similar tothe first embodiment particularly in that it is desirable that from theviewpoint of effectively suppressing the variation in the capacityvalue, the area of the first patterning and the area of the secondpatterning are approximately equalized.

Further, the present modification also has the second feature point in amanner similar to the first embodiment. That is, even in the presentmodification, as shown in FIG. 12, for example, the electrode ELA isformed from the configuration that the first portion P1 (A) and thesecond portion. P2 (A) are coupled by the first coupling portion CNP1(A), the second portion P2 (A) and the third portion P3 (A) are coupledby the second coupling portion CNP2 (A), and the third portion P3 (A)and the fourth portion P4 (A) are coupled by the third coupling portionCNP3 (A). Likewise, in the present modification, the electrode ELB isformed from the configuration that the first portion P1 (B) and thesecond portion P2 (B) are coupled by the first coupling portion CNP1(B), the second portion P2 (B) and the third portion P3 (B) are coupledby the second coupling portion CNP2 (B), and the third portion P3 (B)and the fourth portion P4 (B) are coupled by the third coupling portionCNP3 (B).

Thus, according to the present modification, degradation of thereliability of coupling between the first and second portions,degradation of the reliability of coupling between the second and thirdportions, and degradation of the reliability of coupling between thethird and fourth portions, which are caused by the positionaldisplacement between the masks, can be suppressed at the respectiveelectrodes ELA and ELB by adopting the electrode structure having thefirst, second and third coupling portions.

<Eighth Modification>

A description will next be made about a capacitive element CAP9 in thepresent modification. The capacitive element CAP9 in the presentmodification corresponds to a combined configuration of theconfiguration of the seventh modification and the configuration of thefirst modification. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a planar configurationof the capacitive element CAP9 in the present modification.

Since the capacitive element CAP9 in the present modification also hasthe first and second feature points as shown in FIG. 13, the presentmodification can obtain an advantageous effect similar to the firstembodiment. That is, even in the present modification, it is possible toprovide the high-precision capacitive element CAP9 having reduced aninfluence of a variation in the characteristics due to the positionaldisplacement between masks and suppress degradation of the reliabilityof coupling between the first and second portions, degradation of thereliability of coupling between the second and third portions, anddegradation of the reliability of coupling between the third and fourthportions, which are caused by the positional displacement between themasks.

Further, in the present modification, for example, a first couplingportion that couples a first portion P1 (A) and a second portion P2 (A)of an electrode ELA is formed integrally with the first portion P1 (A),and a second coupling portion that couples the second portion P2 (A) ofthe electrode ELA and a third portion P3 (A) thereof is formedintegrally with the second portion P2 (A). Further, a third couplingportion that couples the third portion P3 (A) of the electrode ELA and afourth portion P4 (A) thereof is formed integrally with the thirdportion P3 (A).

Likewise, in the present modification, a first coupling portion thatcouples a first portion P1 (B) and a second portion P2 (B) of anelectrode ELB is formed integrally with the first portion P1 (B), and asecond coupling portion that couples the second portion P2 (B) of theelectrode ELB and a third portion P3 (B) thereof is formed integrallywith the second portion P2 (B). Further, a third coupling portion thatcouples the third portion P3 (B) of the electrode ELB and a fourthportion P4 (B) thereof is formed integrally with the third portion P3(B).

Thus, according to the configuration of the present modification, thefirst coupling portion and the third coupling portion can also be formedsimultaneously by patterning of the first portion, and the secondcoupling portion can also be formed simultaneously by patterning of thesecond portion, thereby making it possible to simplify the manufacturingprocess of the capacitive element CAP5 even while using the doublepatterning method.

<Ninth Modification>

Subsequently, a description will be made about a capacitive elementCAP10 in the present modification. The capacitive element CAP10 in thepresent modification corresponds to a combined configuration of theconfiguration of the seventh modification and the configuration of thesecond modification. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a planar configurationof the capacitive element CAP10 in the present modification. Since thecapacitive element CAP10 in the present modification also has the firstand second feature points as shown in FIG. 14, the present modificationcan obtain an advantageous effect similar to the first embodiment. Thatis, even in the present modification, it is possible to provide thehigh-precision capacitive element CAP10 having reduced an influence of avariation in the characteristics due to the positional displacementbetween masks and suppress degradation of the reliability of couplingbetween the first and second portions and degradation of the reliabilityof coupling between the second and third portions both caused by thepositional displacement between the masks.

Further, in the present modification, for example, a first couplingportion CNP1 (A) that couples a first portion P1 (A) and a secondportion P2 (A) of an electrode ELA is formed with a layer different fromthe first portion P1 (A) and the second portion P2 (A), and a secondcoupling portion CNP2 (A) that couples the second portion P2 (A) of theelectrode ELA and a third portion P3 (A) thereof is also formed with alayer different from the second portion P2 (A) and the third portion P3(A). Further, a third coupling portion CNP3 (A) that couples the thirdportion P3 (A) of the electrode ELA and a fourth portion P4 (A) thereofis formed with a layer different from the third portion P3 (A) and thefourth portion P4 (A).

Likewise, in the present modification, a first coupling portion CNP1 (B)that couples a first portion P1 (B) and a second portion P2 (B) of anelectrode ELB is formed with a layer different from the first portion P1(B) and the second portion P2 (A), and a second coupling portion CNP2(B) that couples the second portion P2 (B) of the electrode ELB and athird portion P3 (B) thereof is formed with a layer different from thesecond portion P2 (B) and the third portion P3 (A). Further, a thirdcoupling portion CNP3 (B) that couples the third portion P3 (B) of theelectrode ELB and a fourth portion P4 (B) thereof is formed with a layerdifferent from the third portion P3 (B) and the fourth portion P4 (B).

In this case, for example, at each of the electrodes ELA and ELB, thefirst coupling portion that couples the first portion and the secondportion is formed in a layer above or below the layer formed with thefirst and second portions. The coupling of the first coupling portionand the first portion, and the coupling of the first coupling portionand the second portion are performed through plugs, for example.Likewise, the second coupling portion that couples the second portionand the third portion is formed in a layer above or below the layerformed with the second and third portions. The coupling of the secondcoupling portion and the second portion, and the coupling of the secondcoupling portion and the third portion are performed through plugs, forexample. Further, the third coupling portion that couples the thirdportion and the fourth portion is formed in a layer above or below thelayer formed with the third portion and the fourth portion. The couplingof the third coupling portion and the third portion, and the coupling ofthe third coupling portion and the fourth portion are performed throughplugs, for example.

Second Embodiment

<Utility of Application of Basic Concept to Wiring>

Although the first embodiment has described the example in which thebasic concept is applied to the capacitive element comprised of theconductor patterns, the second embodiment will describe an example inwhich the basic concept is applied to wirings comprised of conductorpatterns.

For example, since the double patterning method has the advantage ofbeing capable of coping with the microminiaturization exceeding theperformance limit of the current microfabrication technology, it cancope with the formation of fine wirings hard to be processed in themicrofabrication technology using the single mask. On the other hand,since there is a possibility that a positional displacement will occurbetween masks in the double patterning method, the distance betweenwirings is considered to be shifted from the design value due to thepositional displacement between the masks. In this case, the parasiticcapacity between the wirings is fluctuated.

Thus, the fluctuation in the parasitic capacity between the wiringsmeans that the delay time of a signal to be transmitted through eachwiring varies. Thus, when digital signals are considered as the types ofsignals transmitted through the wirings, control of the timing betweenthe signals becomes important for the digital signals. Therefore, whenthe parasitic capacity between the wirings is fluctuated, the delay timeof each digital signal also varies so that the timing between thedigital signals is assumed to deviate. In this case, there is alsoconsidered a possibility that a digital circuit will not operateproperly. It is thus necessary to reduce as much as possible, thefluctuation in the parasitic capacity between the wirings caused by thepositional displacement between the masks from the viewpoint ofimproving the reliability of the operation of a semiconductor device.

It is therefore useful to apply the basic concept described in the firstembodiment even to the formation of the wirings comprised of theconductor patterns. This will described below.

<Application Example of Basic Concept to Wiring>

FIG. 15A is a diagram showing a planar configuration of a wiring groupin the second embodiment. In FIG. 15A, the wiring group in the presentembodiment is provided with a wiring LA, a wiring LB and a wiring LC. Atthis time, the wiring LA, the wiring LB and the wiring LC are arrangedto run side by side with each other. The distance between the wirings LAand LB and the distance between the wirings LB and LC both become “L”.

Then, the wiring LA has a first portion P1 (A), a second portion P2 (A)and a third portion P3 (A) and further has a first coupling portion CNP1(A) that couples the first portion P1 (A) and the second portion P2 (A),and a second coupling portion CNP2 (A) that couples the second portionP2 (A) and the third portion P3 (A). Here, the first portion P1 (A) ofthe wiring LA is arranged to extend in a y direction, and the secondportion P2 (A) of the wiring LA extends in the y direction and isarranged deviated from the first portion P1 (A) in an x directionorthogonal to the y direction. Further, the third portion P3 (A) of thewiring LA extends in the y direction and is arranged deviated from thesecond portion P2 (A) in the x direction orthogonal to the y direction.Then, the first coupling portion CNP1 (A) is arranged to extend in the xdirection while coupling the first portion P1 (A) and the second portionP2 (A). The second coupling portion CNP2 (A) is arranged to extend inthe x direction while coupling the second portion P2 (A) and the thirdportion P3 (A).

Likewise, the wiring LB has a first portion P1 (B), a second portion P2(B) and a third portion P3 (B) and further has a first coupling portionCNP1 (B) that couples the first portion P1 (B) and the second portion P2(B), and a second coupling portion CNP2 (B) that couples the secondportion P2 (B) and the third portion P3 (B). Here, the first portion P1(B) of the wiring LB is arranged to extend in the y direction, and thesecond portion P2 (B) of the wiring LB extends in the y direction and isarranged deviated from the first portion P1 (B) in the x directionorthogonal to the y direction. Further, the third portion P3 (B) of thewiring LB extends in the y direction and is arranged deviated from thesecond portion P2 (B) in the x direction orthogonal to the y direction.The first coupling portion CNP1 (B) is arranged to extend in the xdirection while coupling the first portion P1 (B) and the second portionP2 (B). The second coupling portion CNP2 (B) is arranged to extend inthe x direction while coupling the second portion P2 (B) and the thirdportion P3 (B).

Further, the wiring LC has a first portion P1 (C), a second portion P2(C) and a third portion P3 (C). Further, the wiring LC has a firstcoupling portion CNP1 (C) that couples the first portion P1 (C) and thesecond portion P2 (C), and a second coupling portion CNP2 (C) thatcouples the second portion P2 (C) and the third portion P3 (C). Here,the first portion P1 (C) of the wiring LC is arranged to extend in the ydirection, and the second portion P2 (C) of the wiring LC extends in they direction and is arranged deviated from the first portion P1 (C) inthe x direction orthogonal to the y direction. Further, the thirdportion P3 (C) of the wiring LC extends in the y direction and isarranged deviated from the second portion P2 (C) in the x directionorthogonal to the y direction. The first coupling portion CNP1 (C) isarranged to extend in the x direction while coupling the first portionP1 (C) and the second portion P2 (C). The second coupling portion CNP2(C) is arranged to extend in the x direction while coupling the secondportion P2 (C) and the third portion P3 (C).

When attention is paid to the wirings LA and LB adjacent to each otherin the wiring group in the second embodiment, the wiring LA is dividedinto the first portion P1 (A), the second portion P2 (A) and the thirdportion P3 (A). Further, the wiring LB adjacent to the wiring LA is alsodivided into the first portion P1 (B), the second portion P2 (B) and thethird portion P3 (B). The first portion P1 (A) of the wiring LA, thethird portion P3 (A) of the wiring LA and the second portion P2 (B) ofthe wiring LB are formed by first patterning using the same first mask.On the other hand, the second portion P2 (A) of the wiring LA, the firstportion P1 (B) of the wiring LB and the third portion P3 (B) of thewiring LB are formed by second patterning using the same second mask.That is, as shown in FIG. 15A, the first portion P1 (A) of the wiring LAand the first portion P1 (B) of the wiring LB both facing each other areformed by patterning using masks different from each other, and thesecond portion P2 (A) of the wiring LA and the second portion P2 (B) ofthe wiring LB are also formed by patterning using masks different fromeach other. Likewise, the third portion P3 (A) of the wiring LA and thethird portion P3 (B) of the wiring LB are formed by patterning usingmasks different from each other.

Thus, according to the wiring group in the second embodiment, it ispossible to suppress a fluctuation in the value of the parasiticcapacity even when a positional displacement occurs between the firstmask used in the first patterning and the second mask used in the secondpatterning.

For example, assume that the position of the first mask used in thefirst patterning is displaced by “a” in the x direction with respect tothe position of the second mask used in the second patterning as shownin FIG. 15B.

When attention is paid to the wirings LA and LB adjacent to each otherin this case, as shown in FIG. 15B, the first portion P1 (A) of thewiring LA arranged on the left side is shifted to the right side in therelation between the first portion P1 (A) of the wiring LA and the firstportion P1 (B) of the wiring LB. Thus, the distance between the firstportion P1 (A) of the wiring LA and the first portion P1 (B) of thewiring LB both facing each other is narrowed to “L−a”. As a result, inthe relation between the first portion P1 (A) of the wiring LA and thefirst portion P1 (B) of the wiring LB, a change in the parasiticcapacity due to the positional displacement between the masks becomes achange in the direction in which the parasitic capacity becomes larger.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15B, the second portion P2 (B) ofthe wiring LB arranged on the right side is shifted to the right side inthe relation between the second portion P2 (A) of the wiring LA and thesecond portion P2 (B) of the wiring LB. Thus, the distance between thesecond portion P2 (A) of the wiring LA and the second portion P2 (B) ofthe wiring LB both facing each other extends to “L+a”. As a result, inthe relation between the second portion P2 (A) of the wiring LA and thesecond portion P2 (B) of the wiring LB, a change in the parasiticcapacity due to the positional displacement between the masks becomes achange in the direction in which the parasitic capacity becomes smaller.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15B, the third portion P3 (A) of the wiring LAarranged on the left side is shifted to the right side in the relationbetween the third portion P3 (A) of the wiring LA and the third portionP3 (B) of the wiring LB, so that the distance between the third portionP3 (A) of the wiring LA and the third portion P3 (B) of the wiring LBboth facing each other is narrowed to “L−a”. As a result, in therelation between the third portion P3 (A) of the wiring LA and the thirdportion P3 (B) of the wiring LB, a change in the parasitic capacity dueto the positional displacement between the masks becomes a change in thedirection in which the parasitic capacity becomes larger.

Thus, when the entire parasitic capacity related to the wirings LA andLB is considered, a change in the entire capacity due to the positionaldisplacement between the masks is canceled and reduced by an increase inthe parasitic capacity between the first portion P1 (A) of the wiring LAand the first portion P1 (B) of the wiring LB, a decrease in theparasitic capacity between the second portion P2 (A) of the wiring LAand the second portion P2 (B) of the wiring LB and an increase in theparasitic capacity between the third portion P3 (A) of the wiring LA andthe third portion P3 (B) of the wiring LB. As a result, according to thewiring group in the present embodiment, the variation in the parasiticcapacity between the wirings LA and LB due to the positionaldisplacement between the masks can be reduced, thereby making itpossible to suppress the variation in the characteristics of thesemiconductor device. Incidentally, although the present embodiment hasbeen described by paying attention to the wirings LA and LB herein, therelation between the wiring LB and the wiring LC can also be consideredin like manner.

Since the variation in the parasitic capacity formed by the wirings LAand LB, and the variation in the parasitic capacity formed by thewirings LB and LC can be reduced as described above, it is possible toform the wiring group which has reduced an influence of the variation inthe parasitic capacity due to the positional displacement between themasks according to the second embodiment. Particularly, it is desirablethat from the viewpoint of effectively suppressing the variation in theparasitic capacity value, the area of the first patterning and the areaof the second patterning are approximately equalized.

Subsequently, a description will be made from the quantitativeviewpoint, about the point that the variation in the parasitic capacitydue to the positional displacement between the masks can be suppressedas compared with the wiring group in the related art according to thewiring group in the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B.

First, FIG. 15A shows the case where the wirings LA, LB and LC areformed in the state in which no positional displacement occurs betweenthe first mask used in the first patterning and the second mask used inthe second patterning in the double patterning method. In this case, theinterval between the wirings LA and LB, and the interval between thewirings LB and LC are both equal to each other and respectively become“L”, for example. Here, the value of the parasitic capacity between thewirings LB and LC is taken to be “C” by paying attention to the wiringsLB and LC.

Next, FIG. 15B is a diagram showing the case where the wirings LA, LBand LC are formed in the state in which the first mask used in the firstpatterning is positionally displaced by “a” in the x direction withrespect to the second mask used in the second patterning. When attentionis paid to the wirings LB and LC in FIG. 15B, the first mask ispositionally displaced by “a” in the x direction with respect to thesecond mask, so that the parasitic capacity between the wirings LB andLC in the state in which the positional displacement exists between themasks is approximately represented like an equation (6) shown below:1/2·C·L/(L−a)+1/2·C·L/(L+a)  (6)

Accordingly, the difference that occurs between the case where thepositional displacement exists between the masks and the case where nopositional displacement exists therebetween is represented like anequation (7):

$\begin{matrix}\begin{matrix} {{Difference} = {C - \{ {{1/2} \cdot C \cdot {L/( {L - a} )}} \} + {{1/2} \cdot C \cdot {L/( {L + a} )}}}} \} \\{= {{- C} \cdot a \cdot {a/\{ {( {L + a} )( {L - a} )} \}}}}\end{matrix} & (7)\end{matrix}$

From the above, when the positional displacement exists between themasks in the double patterning method, the value of the parasiticcapacity between the wirings LB and LC in the second embodiment isvaried by the difference expressed in the equation (7) from “C”.

Now consider as the related art, a technique for forming the entirelinear-shaped wiring LB and the entire linear-shaped wiring LC byseparate masks. In this case, in the related art, assuming that the maskfor forming the wiring LB is positionally displaced by “a” in the xdirection, the parasitic capacity between the wirings LB and LC in thestate in which the positional displacement exists between the masks isrepresented like an equation (8) shown below:C·L/(L−a)  (8)

Accordingly, in the related art, the difference that occurs between thecase where the positional displacement exists between the masks and thecase where no positional displacement exists therebetween is representedlike an equation (9):

$\begin{matrix}\begin{matrix}{{Difference} = {C - {C \cdot {L/( {L - a} )}}}} \\{= {( {{{- C} \cdot a \cdot a} - {C \cdot L \cdot a}} )/\{ {( {L + a} )( {L - a} )} \}}}\end{matrix} & {(9)\;}\end{matrix}$

Thus, in the second embodiment as can be seen from the equations (7) and(9), a primary term of “a” is not included in the numerator of theequation (7), but only a secondary term of “a” is included. On the otherhand, in the related art, the numerator of the equation (9) includes notonly a secondary term of “a” but also a primary term of “a”. Here, if“a” is considered to be a minute amount, the secondary term of “a” isreduced to a degree where it becomes negligible smaller than the primaryterm of “a”. Therefore, the parasitic capacity in the second embodimentcan be made smaller than the parasitic capacity in the related art.

That is, according to the wiring group in the second embodiment, thevariation in the parasitic capacity due to the positional displacementbetween the masks can be reduced even if the double patterning method isused. In other words, according to the second embodiment, it is possibleto suppress the variation in the parasitic capacity of the wiring groupdue to the mask misalignment and improve operational reliability of thesemiconductor device, while maintaining the advantage of doublepatterning that can cope with microminiaturization exceeding theperformance limit of the microfabrication technology using the singlemask.

Further, even in the wiring group in the second embodiment, whenattention is paid to the wiring LA, for example, the wiring LA is formedfrom the configuration that as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, the firstportion P1 (A) and the second portion P2 (A) are coupled by the firstcoupling portion CNP1 (A), and the second portion P2 (A) and the thirdportion P3 (A) are coupled by the second coupling portion CNP2 (A).

Thus, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to suppressdegradation of the reliability of coupling of the first and secondportions due to the positional displacement between the masks at therespective wirings LA to LC by adopting the wiring structure having theabove-described first coupling portion CNP1 (A) and second couplingportion CNP2 (A) while maintaining the advantage that the variation inthe capacity due to the positional displacement between the masks can besuppressed.

<First Modification>

A description will next be made about a wiring group in a firstmodification of the second embodiment. The wiring group in the presentmodification corresponds to a combined configuration of theconfiguration of the second embodiment and the configuration of thefirst modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a planar configuration of the wiring groupin the present modification. Since the wiring group in the presentmodification also has a feature point similar to the second embodimentas shown in FIG. 16, the present modification can obtain an advantageouseffect similar to the second embodiment. That is, the presentmodification is also capable of providing the wiring group thatsuppresses a variation in the parasitic capacity due to the positionaldisplacement between masks and suppressing degradation of thereliability of coupling of the first and second portions and degradationof the reliability of coupling of the second and third portions, whichare caused by the positional displacement between the masks.

Further, in the present modification, when attention is paid to a wiringLA, for example, a first coupling portion that couples a first portionP1 (A) and a second portion P2 (A) of the wiring LA is formed integrallywith the first portion P1 (A), and a second coupling portion thatcouples the second portion P2 (A) of the wiring LA and a third portionP3 (A) thereof is formed integrally with the third portion P3 (A).Further, wirings LB and LC are also configured in a manner similar tothe wiring LA.

Thus, according to the configuration of the present modification, it ispossible to simplify the manufacturing process of the wiring group evenwhile using the double patterning method.

<Second Modification>

Subsequently, a description will be made about a wiring group in asecond modification of the second embodiment. The wiring group in thepresent modification corresponds to a combined configuration of theconfiguration of the second embodiment and the configuration of thesecond modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a planar configuration of the wiring groupin the present modification. Since the wiring group in the presentmodification also has a feature point similar to the second embodimentas shown in FIG. 17, the present modification is capable of obtaining anadvantageous effect similar to the second embodiment. That is, thepresent modification is also capable of providing the wiring group thatsuppresses a variation in the parasitic capacity due to the positionaldisplacement between masks and suppressing degradation of thereliability of coupling of the first and second portions and degradationof the reliability of coupling of the second and third portions, whichare caused by the positional displacement between the masks.

Further, in the present modification, when attention is paid to a wiringLA, for example, a first coupling portion CNP1 (A) that couples a firstportion P1 (A) and a second portion P2 (A) of the wiring LA is formedwith a layer different from the first portion P1 (A) and the secondportion P2 (A). Further, a second coupling portion CNP2 (A) that couplesthe second portion P2 (A) of the wiring LA and a third portion P3 (A)thereof is also formed with a layer different from the second portion P2(A) and the third portion P3 (A). Further, wirings LB and LC are alsoconfigured in a manner similar to the wiring LA.

In this case, for example, in the wiring LA, the first coupling portionthat couples the first and second portions is formed in a layer above orbelow the layer formed with the first and second portions. The couplingof the first coupling portion and the first portion, and the coupling ofthe first coupling portion and the second portion are performed throughplugs, for example. Likewise, the second coupling portion that couplesthe second and third portions is formed in a layer above or below thelayer formed with the second and third portions. The coupling of thesecond coupling portion and the second portion, and the coupling of thesecond coupling portion and the third portion are performed throughplugs, for example.

Although the invention made above by the present inventors has beendescribed specifically on the basis of the embodiments, the presentinvention is not limited to the embodiments referred to above. It isneedless to say that various changes can be made thereto within thescope not departing from the gist thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for manufacturing a semiconductordevice, the method comprising: (a) forming a first conductor pattern anda second conductor pattern running side by side with each other, the (a)forming including: (a1) forming a first portion of the first conductorpattern and a second portion of the second conductor pattern bypatterning using a first mask; and (a2) forming a second portion of thefirst conductor pattern and a first portion of the second conductorpattern by patterning using a second mask, wherein a firstinter-conductor capacity is formed by the first portion of the firstconductor pattern and the first portion of the second conductor pattern,and wherein a second inter-conductor capacity is formed by the secondportion of the first conductor pattern and the second portion of thesecond conductor pattern.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein,when a positional displacement occurs between the first mask and thesecond mask, the first inter-conductor capacity becomes larger than whenthe positional displacement does not occur between the first mask andthe second mask, whereas the second inter-conductor capacity becomessmaller than when the positional displacement does not occur between thefirst mask and the second mask.
 3. The method according to claim 1,wherein, when the positional displacement occurs between the first maskand the second mask, the first inter-conductor capacity becomes smallerthan when the positional displacement does not occur between the firstmask and the second mask, whereas the second inter-conductor capacitybecomes larger than when the positional displacement does not occurbetween the first mask and the second mask.
 4. The method according toclaim 1, wherein an area of the first portion of the first conductorpattern formed in the (a1) forming, and an area of the second portion ofthe first conductor pattern formed in the (a2) forming are equal to eachother.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein an area of the secondportion of the second conductor pattern formed in the (a1) forming, andan area of the first portion of the second conductor pattern formed inthe (a2) are equal to each other.
 6. The method according to claim 1,wherein the first conductor pattern comprises a first electrode of acapacitive element, and wherein the second conductor pattern comprises asecond electrode of the capacitive element.
 7. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the first conductor pattern comprises a first wiring,wherein the second conductor pattern comprises a second wiring, andwherein the first inter-conductor capacity and the secondinter-conductor capacity comprise respectively a parasitic capacitygenerated between the first wiring and the second wiring.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the running side by side with each otherincludes that the first conductor pattern and the second conductorpattern extend while maintaining the distance between the firstconductor pattern and the second conductor pattern at a prescribeddistance irrespectively of the shapes of the first and second conductorpatterns.
 9. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, themethod comprising: forming a first conductor pattern and a secondconductor pattern by a combination of a first patterning using a firstmask and a second pattering using a second mask, wherein, when apositional displacement occurs between the first mask and the secondmask, each of the first conductor pattern and the second conductorpattern is divided into a portion formed by the first patterning and aportion formed by the second patterning in such a manner that a portionwhere a distance between the first conductor pattern and the secondconductor pattern becomes smaller than when the positional displacementdoes not occur between the first and second masks and a portion where adistance becomes larger than when the positional displacement does notoccur between the first and second masks exist.
 10. The method accordingto claim 9, wherein, when the positional displacement occurs between thefirst mask and the second mask, a portion where a capacity between thefirst conductor pattern and the second conductor pattern becomes smallerthan when the positional displacement does not occur between the firstmask and the second mask, and a portion where the capacity becomeslarger than when the positional displacement does not occur between thefirst mask and the second mask exist.
 11. The method according to claim9, wherein the first conductor pattern comprises a first electrode of acapacitive element, and wherein the second conductor pattern comprises asecond electrode of the capacitive element.
 12. The method according toclaim 9, wherein the first conductor pattern comprises a first wiring,and wherein the second conductor pattern comprises a second wiring.